News from November 2024
Prairie State Generating seeks stay on Sierra Club suit pending clean air permit
BENTON - Owners of Prairie State Generating asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Reona Daly to stay a Sierra Club suit seeking to shut down their power plant on Nov. 20.
Illinois Courts Help Secure Federal and Private Grants for Rural Communities
The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) announced that the Putnam, Marshall, Stark County Probation District was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Foundation for Rural Services-Community Service Grants Program.
Justice for Jussie? IL Supreme Court overturns Smollett conviction for lying to cops
The Illinois Supreme Court said Smollett's conviction for lying to police about his hoax attack claims was an unconstitutional violation of his rights to due process because he should have been able to rely on the charge-dropping deal from Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx
Crash suit plaintiff allegedly seeks to keep middle driver in case to defeat diversity jurisdiction
EAST ST. LOUIS - Kariah Buckmire of St. Clair County pleads for a chance to prove that Zachary Langley of Caseyville contributed to an accident that happened when a vehicle behind him shoved his vehicle into hers.
Attorney General Raoul Files Brief Defending Ftc’s Nationwide Ban on Noncompete Agreements
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief supporting a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule prohibiting noncompete clauses – provisions that restrict employees’ ability to work for or start competing businesses after leaving their current jobs – in employment contracts nationwide.
Illinois election results by county: How Harris compared to Pritzker's '22 popularity
ILLINOIS - Counties with the fewest black residents liked Vice President Kamala Harris more than they liked Gov. JB Pritzker in 2022, but Cook County with more than a million black residents liked Pritzker more than Harris.
Judges: Reforms to limit harm from IL biometrics law should apply to pending lawsuits, too
Recent rulings from a Chicago federal judge and a Cook County judge are seen as key wins for Illinois businesses, as they begin the work of answering a key question that could decide the fates of potentially hundreds of lawsuits with many millions of dollars at stake
Meta challenges Illinois biometric law in Messenger case at SDIL
EAST ST. LOUIS - Facebook provider Meta Platforms challenged the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act on constitutional grounds at U.S. district court on Nov. 14.
Attorney General Raoul Calls on Fcc to Strengthen Vetting Process to Block Robocallers
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with the attorneys general of Arkansas, North Carolina and Ohio, led a bipartisan coalition of 46 attorneys general calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve its Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) and close an unmonitored loophole that bad actors exploit to access the U.S. telephone network.
Failing Venice school district sued over discrimination, hostility claims
BENTON - Former Venice school principal Roshion McKinley and former instructional coach Lakishia Brock allege discrimination, hostility and retaliation against the school district.
Madison County attorney John Papa dies
John Papa, long time Madison County attorney, died in St. Louis on Nov. 16, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 73.
Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Scott P. Robinson As Resident Circuit Judge in Seventeenth Circuit
Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Scott P. Robinson as a Resident Circuit Judge in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, Second Subcircuit.
Constitution doesn't block Indiana's ban on gender transition procedures for kids: Appeals court
A divided federal appeals panel said the Indiana ban on surgeries, puberty blockers and other care do not violate parent's rights to direct their children's medical care nor the speech rights of doctors, dissolving a lower court's injunction blocking enforcement of the law
Alleged polluters can perform discovery on city of East St. Louis
EAST ST. LOUIS - For three years this city performed discovery on possible pollution by Monsanto, Pharmacia and Solutia, and now defendants get to perform discovery on the city.
ESL police chief says he wasn't served with excessive force suit; Facing $825K default judgment
BENTON - East St. Louis Police Chief Kendall Perry, facing an $825,035.97 default judgment on an excessive force claim, swore at a hearing that no one served the complaint on him.
Attorney General Raoul Files Brief Calling for Continued Public Hearings on Serious Cpd Disciplinary Matters
Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed an amicus brief calling for the continuation of a 60-year tradition of offering public access to hearings in serious disciplinary matters involving Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers.
SAFE-T Act pretrial jailing appeals drop 88% after court rule changes; 'Found a sweet spot,' says task force chair
The number of appeals filed by criminal defendants seeking release from jail while they await trial dropped from 1,041 in January to mid-April to 154 in the three months following rule changes to ease the burden. The appeals numbers are still up significantly compared to years preceding Illinois' criminal justice system reforms
Prison warden denied move to reinstate 'deliberate indifference' defense
EAST ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn denied leave for prison warden Daniel Monti to reinstate a defense he withdrew last year against prisoner Charles Yoder’s complaint of deliberate indifference to his medical conditions.
Honduran woman granted asylum pursues lawsuit against U.S. for the year she was expelled
EAST ST. LOUIS - Somewhere in Caseyville a mother from Honduras hides from gangs and pursues a lawsuit against the nation that granted asylum to her and her family.
Attorney General Raoul Condemns Racist Texts Sent Nationwide to Black and Brown Americans
Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement in response to reports of racist text messages from anonymous senders to Black and Brown Americans, including students, around the country.